


Everybody Needs Somebody

by zodiac_emma



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fanfic, Fanfiction, Farmer Jargon, Implied Smut, Medical Jargon, No TWs Needed, Real Life stuff, Romance, Slow Burn, depression and anxiety, fite me mortal, mental illness mentioned, nothing explicit though, nothing too graphic, yep this is a slow burner
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:53:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21699553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zodiac_emma/pseuds/zodiac_emma
Summary: Life wasn't the best for you. A Joja employee who was paid merely enough to maybe pay the bills consistently and had backstabbing friends and partners to top it all off. One day, you'd decided that enough was enough, so you packed your bags and took over your grandfather's old farm. Despite being wary to meld into the new community, the people of Pelican Town were determined to make you feel welcome. One person in particular was more determined than the rest to make your new life the best one.
Relationships: Harvey/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Harvey/Player (Stardew Valley), Maru/Penny (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 33





	1. Prologue

_ “Why did he have to go? First, he left us in the dust, and now! And now...!” You couldn’t help but sob into your father’s chest. _

_ He rubbed your back as you continued to weep. “I know, Sweetie, but it wasn’t your grandfather’s fault. He was old, and when old people fall ill, they’re in a losing war,” he explained, hugging you tighter. He would never admit it in a million years, but he too wanted to cry. _

_ You were young and you were impressionable. Your heart yearned to see your grandfather again, to see him one last time. You wanted to hug him, but you also wanted to yell at him. Why did he have to drop everything and go so far away, why did he have to leave you and your family behind? Why? Why? Why?! _

_ “I hate him!” you screamed, flinging your fists around and pounding your father’s back. “I hate him so much! Why did he have to leave us?!” _

_ Your father’s body vibrates as he growled in discontent. He let go of your small body and stood up, staring down at you. “(Y/F/N), I really don’t appreciate your attitude!” he barked. _

_ Tears continued to stream down your face like a white water river. You stomped your foot as hard as you could. “Shut up!” you screamed at the top of your lungs. “Shut up, shut up, shut up!” _

_ “Stop yelling!” your father demanded. _

_ “Never!” you yelled. _

_ Your father crossed his arms. “Fine,” he said coldly. “Go to your room. Now.” _

_ You twisted yourself around and stomped over to your room. “See if I care!” you shouted, slamming your bedroom door. _

_ Why did he have to leave you guys? _

* * *

It all made sense.

During your one-way bus ride to Stardew Valley, you couldn’t help but think of your past actions and thoughts towards your dear grandfather. You felt guilty, sick even. Past-self was so selfish and disgusting. Why didn’t time travel exist? Instead of traveling to the future and figuring out what your life would become, like many others would, you would rather go back to the past and tell your younger self to stop being so self-centered.

Of course, would your younger self really have listened? Probably not.

Your train of thought crashed as the bus came to a sudden stop. You looked around, seeing the bus door open. You grabbed your two suitcases and walked off the bus. Was this it? Were you actually going to start a brand new life, one in the countryside?

The bus drove off without warning. It looked like you were going to start a brand new life. Just like your grandfather did. And just like him, you only hoped you could deal with the bees.

After all, you were allergic to bees.


	2. Part I

**spring**

/spriNG/

_noun_

the season after winter and before summer, in which vegetation begins to appear, in the northern hemisphere from March to May and in the southern hemisphere from September to November.

* * *

_"Spring: a lovely reminder of how beautiful change can be."_


	3. Springtime Miracles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter one, hooray! I hope y'all enjoy!

_“You could’ve just asked for money! Why do you keep on stealing my money?” you barked, pissed that your friend had once again taken money without your knowledge. Specifically, your money. Your hard-earned money from that crappy corporate nine-to-five job that you had no choice but to work at._

_Your friend sniffed as tears rolled down her face. “B-B-Because, you know me, it’s h-hard to stop my b-bad habits,” she explained._

_You sighed. “I know you’re seeing a therapist, but if you keep stealing my money, I’m gonna have to distance myself away from you until you can stop your kleptomaniac tendencies,” you said more calmly now._

_“No!” she wailed. “I can’t bear to lose you as a friend!” Tears streamed down her face._

_You hugged her tight. Your stomach grew a knot and dropped itself to the pit of your belly, but you chose to ignore the shivering sensation. “I know, I can’t imagine breaking ties with you either, May.” Tears pricked your dry eyes, threatening to spill as well. You resisted the urge, however. You were meant to be the strong one. The one that stood unwavered no matter what._

_May’s arms readjusted themselves into a tighter hug. The embrace lasted for a few moments before the two of you split._

_She wiped the tears from her eyes, her cheeks now lightly stained black. “Thank you, for everything.”_

_You gave her a tight-lipped smile. “No problem.”_

_With that, she stood up off the small, torn couch. “Well, I best be getting home. Rest is probably the best thing I can do for now.” You nodded your head in agreement. The two of you exchanged your goodbyes as May exited your tiny apartment._

_“Now,” you said, standing up, “time for some pizza.” Your hand wrapped around to your behind, where you always kept your wallet._

_It was gone._

✿ ✿ ✿

Money was always an issue for you. Whether it was due to poor money management or old friends, sometimes a combination of both, you always had trouble with saving up money to pay off important bills without worry. At first, it was due to a lack of knowledge of the real world, which spiraled down into horrible spending habits. Poor friend choosing did have some say in your habits, but it was primarily choosing to spend money at the bar instead of saving it up to pay the utilities. You were by no means an alcoholic, but alcohol used to play a role in your life back in Zuzu City. Key words: used to.

But now things were beginning to look better. Your father always told you that grass was greener on the other side, and for the longest time, you never believed him. Ever since quitting your desk job and packing your bags to Stardew Valley, however, you had no choice but to give your dad some credit.

A lot of the townsfolk asked you if moving in was hard, leaving friends and family behind. You always told them that you never really had friends back in Zuzu City, which was both the truth and a lie, and that your father and brother were allowed to visit anytime. Sure, you missed your small remaining family, but you always kept in contact with them via letters.

This morning was a good morning. The potato spuds were looking healthy and the parsnips were ready to be harvested. With your basket in one hand and your watering can in the other, you headed out the door and onto the farm. After you harvested the parsnips and watered the remaining crops, you decided to head into town to sell your produce. While Pierre’s was expensive, he also bought at high prices, too. It was a win-win for all parties involved.

The time was nine o'clock sharp. You entered into the quaint shop and made a beeline towards the front desk.

Pierre waved and gave you a big smile. “Good morning, (Y/N)! What can I do for ya?” He shifted his weight and placed a bent arm on the counter. 

“Just need to sell my first batch of produce and buy some more seeds. Any advice as to what seeds to get?” you said, placing the basket in front of Pierre.

He straightened himself up and investigated the fifteen parsnips that laid in your basket. “All of these appear to be of good quality. A couple look practically perfect.” A little more investigating was done before he gave you the final verdict. “How about 559 gold for this basket right here?”

Five hundred fifty-nine gold?! That was insane! Especially since you had spent all of your gold on potato seeds.

“A-Are you sure?” you asked, shocked.

“Rule one, if one offers a price better than you expected, don’t question it. Take it then, react later,” Pierre said bluntly.

You nodded. “Alright, I’ll take it.”

Pierre emptied your basket and placed it back on the counter before collecting the appropriate amount of gold. You pulled out your coin sack out of your backpack and Pierre handed you over the gold. 

“Anything I can do for ya?” he asked.

“Hm,” you hummed out. “Any advice?” you asked.

“Ah, yes,” Pierre said. “I’d strongly advise you to not plant the same crops over and over again. That’s the surefire way to ruin the dirt before summer arrives.” He ducked below for a moment before coming back up with two different seed packets. “Green beans add nitrogen back into the soil, great for replenishing the soil before planting any other crops.” He shifted his pointer finger to the other packet. “Kale is quite valuable, selling at 110 gold a pop, bare minimum. However, they suck up a lot of nitrogen, so that’s why I highly recommend the green beans first. They keep growing after you plant them, so perhaps you can allow them to grow until you harvest the potatoes, then shift them over to where they once were and plant the kale from there.” He looked up at you. “That’s just my take, though.”

“Well, I hardly know anything about farming. I’ll try this method out. How much is the green bean packet?” you asked.

“Sixty gold a sleeve,” he replied. “And I also highly recommend that you don’t spend as much money as possible. You have a bit over five hundred, right? Spend four hundred.”

“Erm,” you grumbled out, attempting to do the math in your head. “Six?”

“Six it is. That’ll be 360 gold,” he said. “I’m impressed, only spending 300?”

“Oh,” you said, flustered by your error. “Make that seven, please.”

“Too late,” he said, handing you the packets and chuckling.

You gave him the gold and made the purchase, stuffing the new seed packets in your backpack. “Thank you,” you hollered, exiting the small shop. “Have a nice day!”

“You too!” he said.

You began to make your way back to the farm, whistling a nameless tune, when you passed by the nameless clinic. You couldn’t help but walk closer to the building. Thinking about it, you never knew who worked there. 

Were they just a hermit all day? 

Did they ever go home?

Well, there was only one way to find out. You examined the sign taped on the glass door.

“Sorry, but we’re closed right now…?” you read aloud. It was one of those blue signs that had a mini clock that showed what time they expected to come back. 

“Hello!” a woman chimed. You spun around to see Maru. “Oh, hi, (Y/N)! Is it an emergency?”

“Uh, no. I was just wondering who worked here, I never see anyone enter or leave the building besides the occasional clients,” you explained.

“I work here as the nurse,” Maru explained. “Doctor Harvey is, well, the doctor!”

You cocked your head to the side and raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Doctor who now?”

“Not Doctor Who, silly! Doctor Harvey!” Maru corrected.

You merely blinked. “I’m still confused.”

“Good thing we got the last of the maki rolls for lunch, Maru. I was afraid it would all be gone already!” a voice yelled. You looked past Maru to see a tall man, not young but not an elder either, approaching.

Maru took position beside you and wrapped her arm around your shoulders. “Doctor Harvey, you haven’t met the new farmer yet, haven’t you?” she said.

Doctor Harvey’s face was flushed with a mix of red and pink, presumably from not exactly walking over. He mumbled something about being out of shape before composing himself. “No, I’m afraid I haven’t.” The man turned to you, readjusting the green jacket that he wore. “It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Harvey, the local doctor. I perform regular check-ups and medical procedures for all the residents of Pelican Town. It's rewarding work. I hope you'll find your own work equally rewarding, in time. What might your name be?” He stuck his open hand out for you to shake.

You grabbed the hand as you introduced yourself. “(Y/N), sir. It’s a pleasure to meet you, too.”

“Oh please, don’t call me by ‘sir’,” he said, anxiously grinning.

“My apologies, Doctor Harvey,” you corrected.

He still looked slightly uncomfortable but didn’t say anything.

“Why don’t you come in if you can spare a few minutes,” Maru suggested.

You nodded. “I don’t see why not,” you said. Maru unlocked the clinic and you followed her in, nipping at her heels.

Doctor Harvey walked past the two of you and headed over to the front desk. Meanwhile, you and Maru stood next to the desk on the other side.

“You’re a nurse here? How come I didn’t know that sooner?” you asked.

“Well, it’s not like I brag about it,” Maru said. “I tend to brag more about my inventions.”

“Your… inventions?” you inquired.

“My father is a scientist, my mother’s a carpenter, and I like to make science-y gadgets. Seems to make sense, don’t it?” she said.

“Huh, I guess it does,” you said.

“Oh!” Both you and Maru looked over at Doctor Harvey, confused at his exclamation. “Turns out I was just about to send you a letter.”

“What for?” you asked.

“Well, you need to register with the clinic. What if we take care of that here and now?” he offered.

You shrugged. “Why not.”

And so, you sat down with the local doctor and began filling out the necessary forms. He guided you to his office, which was practically behind the front desk. There, he began pulling out crisp papers left and right. If you were being completely honest with yourself, the number of papers he was pulling out was overwhelming. That was a part of adulting, you supposed.

“So,” Doctor Harvey started, “first thing’s first. What insurance provider do you have?”

Silence.

“Um,” you said, “funny story. I kinda sucked at living back in Zuzu City, so I, uh, how do I put this, never got insurance.” 

It was true. Because of your terrible money management, you were never able to afford insurance. Saying that out loud was embarrassing at best. You were admitting to your doctor that you weren’t able to afford insurance because of your poor money handling skills. He probably thought you were an incompetent being. A lazy person who threw their money around like rice at a wedding that was bound to end up in flames.

“That’s okay, I can help guide you to purchasing health insurance for the first time in the near future,” Doctor Harvey said.

You immediately snapped out of your thoughts in pure shock. “W-Wait, you mean… you’re not disgusted at me?”

He looked almost offended. “Disgusted at you? Goodness, no! For one, I don’t judge my patients, and for another, not having insurance is okay. Well, I mean, it isn’t, but it is at the same time. Do you get what I’m trying to say?”

“Yeah, I guess,” you said, shifting around in your seat. “Should we move on to general information, or…?”

“Yes, of course,” he said.

Doctor Harvey asked for your full legal name, date of birth, location of birth, the whole spiel. Phone number, address, social security, birth certificate, information you didn’t even know you knew. 

“Now, I’ll question you about your health history,” he said. He placed a new form on top of the one he had just written on. “Shall I get the awkward part out of the way?”

Picking up his implications, you nodded. You were used to these questions at this point, but from male to female, there was still a layer of uneasiness that settled into the room, and pretty quickly at that.

“Have you had sex in the past twelve months?” he asked.

You shook your head. “Being honest, I can’t remember the last time I’ve had sex. Have I even had sex?” You began to go on a mumbling tangent.

“Alright, next question. Have you ever contracted any STIs?” he asked.

“Nope.”

“Have you ever been tested for STIs?”

“Nope.”

“Are you currently on any contraceptives?”

“...”

“Are you currently on-?”

“Unable to afford them,” you said meekly.

“Oh,” he said. “That’s okay, but if you ever chose to be sexually active-”

“Let’s just move on,” you sighed out.

He pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. “Last question. Have you-”

“Nope. Don’t plan on it either. At least, not now, anyways,” you said, cutting him off once again. You were quite used to these questions.

“Well, in that case, that concludes that section of the sheet.” He looked up and stared directly into your eyes. “Now, would you mind taking off your boots and going over to the scale?”

The eye contact made your stomach tie the tightest knot you ever felt in your life but delicately light at the same time. You weren’t sure as to why you felt that way. Were you getting ill? You didn’t feel nauseous, though.

Shaking the concerns out of your head, you made your way over to the scale and weighed yourself. Doctor Harvey recorded your weight and measured your height. 

“You seem perfectly healthy there,” he commented, walking back over to his seat. You plopped back into your seat and immediately began fidgeting. “Do you take any medications or supplements?”

Your stomach dropped. Back in your high school years, your therapist had diagnosed you with depression, which wasn’t a surprise in any way, shape, or form. You were supposed to take a medication for it, but as soon as you turned eighteen, you were kicked off your family’s insurance. They weren’t the perpetrators, but rather the government of where you once lived. Then there was also the case of your allergy to bees. You weren’t entirely sure how you were going to farm and avoid bees. A reaction when stung wasn’t normally the worst, hives and swelling in the area of the sting, but your doctor (back when you had a doctor) always told you to carry an epipen on you in case the reaction ever progressed into something worse, like anaphylactic shock. But, of course, since you didn’t have any insurance whatsoever, you never carried any epipens.

“I’m supposed to, but I can never afford what I need, so, uh,” you trailed off.

“Right,” he said. “What medications are you supposed to take?”

“I need to take an antidepressant of some kind and I also need to carry epipens on me,” you explained.

“Bees?” he guessed.

“Kinda ironic when you think about it,” you said.

“I suppose so,” he said, focusing on what he was writing rather than you.

The rest of the appointment was routine. Embarrassing and painful to go through with the responses you had to give. You went through this all the time back in Zuzu City, looking for a doctor that would accept you despite having no insurance. When not a single doctor took you in, you eventually gave up on the whole endeavor. 

“Well, (Y/N),” Doctor Harvey began.

“You don’t need to tell me, I already know,” you said, getting up from your seat.

He looked at you quizzically. “What do you mean?”

“You won’t provide care for me because I have no insurance. I get it,” you opened the door with one foot out, “really. I do.”

“What? No!” You froze, awaiting his response. “I was just going to thank you for taking time out of your day to register with the clinic.”

You turned around to face the doctor. “But I didn’t, because just like every other doctor under the sun, you don’t take anyone without insurance. Like I said, I get it. I understand!” you said. “I’m not offended at all, only because I’ve gone through this so many times. I’m used to it. Please, no hard feelings. I’ll exit myself out.”

“Wait!” he hollered, trying everything to make you not leave. “You’re telling me that you’ve never had a doctor?” he said, more quietly than his previous sentence.

“I mean, I did when I was a kid. But as soon as I turned eighteen, though, not really,” you admitted.

Doctor Harvey’s face was a shade of warm red and you weren’t quite sure as to why. Breathing issues? Adrenaline? “W-What if I was your first doctor?” he offered.

You shook your head. “I appreciate the offer, but don’t let your feelings get in the way of your profession. I don’t qualify for a doctor and that’s final.”

“That may be the case in Zuzu City, but here, in Stardew Valley, it’s different,” he said. “At least, in Pelican Town,” he clarified.

You raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Here in Pelican Town, I’m the only doctor. It’s my job, duty, and responsibility to take care of every single individual that lives here. And that includes you, insurance or not,” he explained. “I asked you to be registered, not evaluated for registration.”

Time came to a sudden stop. You were finally getting a doctor? For the first time in years? Was this real? You pinched yourself, but you were still here. You wanted to cry tears of joy, but Doctor Harvey would’ve probably found it awkward, which was fair. Completely fair. 

Doctor Harvey gave you a tight-lipped grin. “So, feel free to stop on by. I’ll see what I can do for you in terms of antidepressants and epipens,” he said.

“Erm.” Was all you could say. It wasn’t for another moment that you could form a proper sentence. But finally, you were able to pull yourself together. “If it isn’t too much trouble, could you also check on something like birth control?”

He began walking towards you. “I actually have that sort of stuff available for free. Safe sex is something I strive for, so allowing access to free contraceptives to anyone who asks was a no brainer to me,” he said. 

“Oh,” you said, following him out. He took the door on the right while you took the door on the left, rounding the corner and meeting up on opposite sides of the front desk. He rummaged around for a bit before coming back up with a slim box.

“Take these daily, let me know if you have any symptoms of any kind. If these don’t work for you, I can always search for something else,” he said.

You took the box and quickly placed it in your backpack. “Thank you, Doctor Harvey! I don’t know what to say, other than life seems to be going up for once.”

He smiled. “Well, I’m glad I could help you out with that, (Y/N). Feel free to stop by when needed,” he said, waving.

You opened the front door, waving back. “Bye!” you hollered, exiting the clinic.

Did all of that actually happen, you asked yourself as you walked down the path back to the farm. It all seemed surreal, finally getting accepted by a doctor? And on top of that, was willing to help you with much-needed medication? Caring, kind, and friendly. It was probably the first time that you had ever encountered a doctor that wasn’t a cold wall of nonexistent emotions. 

Maybe the valley really was what you needed.


	4. Private Practice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was planning on updating every Friday, but uh... I got sick. So, that didn't happen. I apologize about that. I'm going to publish a bonus chapter today (in Harvey's P.O.V., which I'm really excited for) and then I'll let you all have a merry Christmas or a happy Hannukah (or a happy holidays in general, whatever you celebrate or don't celebrate). Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

_ Two feet of snow was delicately piled all over the land, a majority of it undisturbed. You saw it all whiz by as you sat in your seat on the train. Normally, any kid would have whined and screamed and cried about having to sit for so long, but you were easily entertained and quite excited. You and your family never really traveled outside of Zuzu City, with the exception of holidays, and not every holiday either. Today was a lucky day as you got to step outside of the city. _

_ “Daddy,” you asked, tapping his arm. He looked over, focusing all of his attention on you. “Are we there yet?” _

_ Your father smiled, the corner of his eyes crinkling. The train began to slow down. “Yes, we are, Sweetie.” _

_ Your eye lit up. “Really?” you squeaked out. _

_ Your father nodded his head. “We need to wait for the train to come to a full stop and then we can grab our luggage and head out.” _

_ “Yay! Papa!” you hollered, waving your arms around in excitement.  _

_ “(Y/N),” you heard your brother say, “why are you excited to see our lame, old, grandpa?”  _

_ You mustered up the best growl you could. “Papa’s not lame!” you countered. _

_ “Now, Theo. Be nice,” your father scolded.  _

_ The train came to a complete stop. As soon as you felt the train no longer moving, you pounced right out of your seat and attempted to squeeze by your father. _

_ “Now, now,” he said, “Lemme get your suitcase, Sweetie.” He got up and opened the compartment that held three suitcases. One at a time, he grabbed a suitcase and placed them down.  _

_ Yours was first. All pink and girly, someone would have to be blind to not spot it out. You messed around with the handle and got it to extend upwards relatively quickly. Eager to see your grandfather, you ran over towards the exit. _

_ “I know you’re excited to see Papa, but if you could please-” your father turned around to see you gone. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “-not run off.” _

_ You, however, didn’t notice your stressed father groaning at your defiance. Instead, you hopped off the train and looked around. There weren’t many people at the train station, so surely finding your grandfather would be easy peasy. _

_ “(Y/N)!” you heard someone holler. You turned your attention towards the voice. _

_ “Papa!” you said, running over to him. _

_ You dropped your suitcase as you ran towards his open arms. He picked you up and swung you around, giving you a hug in the process.  _

_ “I’ve missed you so much, Sweet Pea! I hope your father doesn’t mind me spoiling you a bit,” he said, winking mischievously. The two of you laughed. Christmas, or as your grandfather called it, Feast of the Winter Star, had finally begun in your eyes. _

✿ ✿ ✿

Flowers bloomed vicariously in their delicate way, the wind breezing through the vivacious trees, allowing the leaves to whistle their tune of joy. You saw it all as you looked out the window from Evelyn’s kitchen. 

Ever since Evelyn heard that you were rumored to be related to the wonderful older farmer that they had befriended many years ago, she couldn’t stop herself from trying to befriend the new farmer. To her honest surprise, it worked. You were such a delight to her otherwise routine world.

You too enjoyed Evelyn’s company. George was an elder one had to get used to, but you had met worse people in the world. He was thick, but you think you were finally beginning to break down his hard, cold exterior.

Evelyn and George gave you a warm sense of feeling, as though they were family you never knew you needed. Evelyn was like a mother to you. You hardly had any memories of your birth mother, and growing up without one felt lonely or awkward at times. George, meanwhile, felt like an ambiguous family member of some sort. You weren’t quite sure who he was to you, but feeling like family was enough for you. 

“Now you said you brought over some green beans?” Evelyn said.

You nodded, picking up your basket and placing it on the counter in front of Evelyn. “Yep! I hope these are up to your standards,” you said nervously. 

“Oh, Sweet Pea! These look delectable!” Your heart swelled up bigger than you could have ever imagined. It had been years, no, decades since you were called that. You couldn’t help but smile wide.

The front door opened and the sound of heavy footsteps filled the house. Evelyn was old, she had no idea who entered into the house. You, however, were caught bathing in the waves of nostalgia back to your childhood to notice. 

You snapped back to reality by the sound of Evelyn’s warm laugh. “Oh, I make myself laugh,” she said. She looked at you, clearly seeing your confusion. “Sweet Pea? Green beans? They sound similar enough for the joke to work, right?” She laughed again. This time, you laughed along with her.

It took a few minutes to calm yourselves down, but peace finally took over.

Evelyn grabbed the basket and took it over to the sink. “Would you mind grabbing the cans of mushroom soup out from the pantry, please?” she asked.

“Sure thing!” you said, making your way to the only pantry in the kitchen, you opened it up and scanned for the cans.

Tomato, vegetable, chili, a-ha! You found the cream of mushroom cans and grabbed the two cans that were in the pantry. You closed the door behind you and walked back over to the kitchen counter you and Evelyn were working on. 

Evelyn came over with freshly cleaned green beans. “Thank you, Sweet Pea! I’ll grab the fried onions and you can begin cooking the soup.”

“Will do,” you said, picking up the cans again. You made your way over to the stove, placing the cans on the counter before squatting down to reach the cabinet. You grabbed the first pot you saw and placed it on the burner, turning it on. 

As you opened the cans and poured the contents into the pot, you could hear George talking in the living room. Something about his heart being healthy or something like that. You shrugged, focusing back to the soup. 

You took one of the cans and filled it with water before dumping it into the pot. You did this twice in order to get enough liquid to make it a soup. With spatula in hand, you began stirring.

“Hmmph… I know what’s best for me,” you heard George grumble off again. “Who do you think you are, telling me how to live my life?” You tapped the spatula on the side of the pot before placing it down and walking into the hallway. Who in the world was he talking to?

“I’m your Doctor, George. That’s who I am.” That voice sounded all too familiar to you. What was Doctor Harvey doing here? 

“And I went to school for eight years so I could learn how to keep people stay healthy,” he said. Was he doing an in-house check-up for George? It seemed to make the most sense, you thought as you peaked into the family room. 

The Doctor must’ve had keen senses because he turned his head right at the doorway where you were. 

“Oh!” he said. “I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t be here… these check-ups are supposed to be private.”

You stepped out and allow yourself to be fully seen. Your face flushed in heated embarrassment. “I should be the one apologizing. I was helping Evelyn make a green bean casserole when I heard George talking. I just wanted to check up on him, that’s all,” you explained. 

Doctor Harvey’s eyes lit up. “Oh, green bean casserole? That sounds delectable!”

“It does,” you said. You turned to look back at Doctor Harvey. “Sorry to hold up your appointment, I best be heading back into the kitchen.” 

As you began walking away, a croaky but boisterous voice caught your attention. “Not so fast! I’d like to get a second opinion from this young lady.”

You spun back around to face the two. “Erm, what now?” you asked.

Doctor Harvey sighed, his hand instinctively jerking up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Very well…” He looked over at you, his facial expression begging. “(Y/N), what do you think Geroge should do?”

You smiled warmly, not skipping a beat. “George, you really should follow Dr. Harvey’s advice.”

A wave of relief washed over Doctor Harvey. You could see it in his eyes and facial expression. He gave you an open smile. “Thanks, (Y/N),” he said, putting up a front of professionalism. You could tell by his tone that if he didn’t have to hold up such a serious facade he would be jumping for joy. He turned to the old man, “You see, George. I’m just trying to help you.”

George scowled at you, but you simply smiled at him in return. His face softened, looking back at Doctor Harvey. “Fine. I’ll do what you say, doctor.”

You continued to stand in the doorway, leaning on one side of it. George wheeled himself back to the television while Doctor Harvey packed up his belongings. You couldn’t help but stare. There was no doubt that the man had body image issues, at least compared to the rest of the townspeople. He wasn’t skinny like the rest of him, but that wasn’t to say he wasn’t egregiously overweight. Being surrounded by people who were skinny when you’re the odd one out does put some pressure on you, but it was probably worse when you’re supposed to be the local icon of pique health. You never had a preference for people when it came to their physical body: skinny or pudgy, muscles or bone, anywhere in between. Doctor Harvey was no exception.

And his hair, yoba his hair! It was messy but in the most professional way possible. So touchable, you always wanted to fluff it up whenever you looked at it. Your eyes scanned down to his face. His skin was so smooth, not a wrinkle in sight. Well, maybe under his eyes, but who got proper sleep nowadays? How was the eldest bachelor, by the way? He was the pinnacle of perfection! 

Those eyes. Piercing green and yet so deep. You thought green eyes were all the rage with the long list of womens’ desires in a man. Another confusing aspect of the town’s doctor. 

“(Y/N)? Is everything alright?” Doctor Harvey spoke.

You immediately straightened yourself up, kicking your daydreaming thoughts out of your head. What had gotten into you? You didn’t actually have feelings towards him, did you? How long had you been in this town so far? Almost a week? It’ll pass, you told yourself. Infatuation was a silly thing, and you damned yourself at the mere fact of its existence.

“Yeah,” you sighed out, “I’m fine. Just got lost in space,” you chuckled out.

Doctor Harvey gave you a genuine tight-lipped grin. “Well, I must be off. It was nice bumping into you,” he said.

A sudden dull ache filled your chest. Before you could process anything, you blurted out words you had no idea the meaning they held until it was all too late. “Would you like to stay for lunch, Doctor Harvey?”

Stupid! Absolutely stupid! He had work to attend to, and this wasn’t even your house, or your meal! Why did you even ask him in the first place like that? What was with you? Right, infatuation. It would pass, but you wished it would pass quicker.

Doctor Harvey looked down at his wristwatch before looking back up at you. “I have no other appointments, and Maru could always call me in case of an emergency. Sure, I don’t see why not. And please, do call me Harvey.”

You couldn’t help but smile. You had to play it off like you didn’t just speak without thinking. “Great! I think Evelyn and George would be more than appreciative. I’ll let them know, Harvey.”

You turned around to head back into the kitchen.

“(Y/N)!” Evelyn hollered. “The soup is burning!”

You yelped in shock, running as fast as you could. Harvey couldn’t help but laugh a little. 

✿ ✿ ✿

By some miracle brought down by Yoba itself, the soup was salvaged. No need to make any rushed trips down to Pierre’s, or Joja’s. Just thinking of the company sent shivers down your spine. You’d rather not think about the corrupt corporation.

While you helped out in the kitchen, Harvey went back and forth between checking up on George and seeing the progress being made on the casserole. He always seemed more drawn towards what you were doing more than whatever Evelyn was doing. Probably because you were closer to Harvey in age, you thought. Nothing to think too deeply about.

The burning of the soup was the only hiccup in making the casserole, which was fine by you. After the casserole was pulled out of the oven, you immediately placed it on the dining table with a layer of quark boards helping the heat prevent any burning of the table. It smelled amazing, you couldn’t wait to eat it. 

After the table was set and everyone was ready, you all sat down at the table and said a prayer to Yoba (upon Evelyn’s kind but persistent request) and dug in.

At first, there was complete silence. But then the wave of comments came flooding out.

Evelyn looked up at you, her eyes were shiny. “Oh, Sweet Pea, this casserole just tastes like your grandfather’s. I can’t remember the last time I tasted this good of a casserole.”

You were left speechless. Completely and utterly speechless.

Even George’s eyes lit up. “Whaddya know, not half bad,” he grumbled in his typical fashion, but you heard that hint of optimism in his voice.

You looked at Harvey, seeing if he had anything to say. He gently blew on his bite before chowing down in the most polite way possible. After a moment of suspended silence and chewing, a loud swallow broke the silence. 

“That was…” You looked at him, waiting for him to finish his sentence. He gave a hearty chuckle before looking up at you. “Sorry, I’m just speechless. Truly speechless. I-In a good way, that is.”

The two of you held eye contact for a moment. During this time, you studied his face. His smooth and round head, his plump cheeks, his shimmering green eyes, the trimmed mustache, and his uncracked lips. They looked so soft and smooth.

Stop it. Stop it, stop it, stop it. Infatuation always took over you, but not could be your chance to prove it wrong. You attempted to blink away, but all you did was blink, not the away part. 

“Is there something in my teeth?” he asked nervously. Finally, you were able to take control of your body again.

“No, not at all! I’m sorry, I really do seem to be staring off into space frequently,” you said.

“You sure? About the teeth thing?” he asked. You shook your head.

“Your teeth look better than mine,” you said offhandedly, taking another bite of the casserole on your plate.

“Erm, okay,” he said, looking down at his plate. You internally groaned. Good going. You ruined the moment, as per usual. This was one of many reasons as to why you no longer pursued relationships.

The rest of lunch went by fine. Fine as in nothing else humiliating occurred, but nothing saved the afternoon either. Once everyone was done eating, you hastily took the plates and began washing them. Meanwhile, Harvey quickly put his jacket on and exited the house, thanking everyone for inviting him for a good lunch. With that, he was gone.

You wanted to cry so, so much. It was one of those moments where your depression wanted to consume you, and in the current state that you were in emotionally, it had quite the advantage this time around.

You sighed, releasing your grip from the current plate you were washing. You twisted the faucet off and just stood there, reflecting on your current state of mind.

“Oh, Sweet Pea!” Evelyn said. Now wasn’t the time for her to be calling you ‘Sweet Pea’, but what were you going to do, lash out at her? “You helped make dinner! No need for you to clean up for us. You can go home now.”

Normally, you would press the request and ask the other party if they were sure. But this time, you were glad that Evelyn gave you permission to leave. You dried your hands and picked up the now empty basket.

“Thank you for having me over,” you said, slipping your boots on.

“Oh, it was no problem. I hope you come by sometime soon!” she said.

You couldn’t muster up a chuckle or a smile. Instead, you looked away and headed towards the door.

“Yeah, I hope so too.” You exited the house and made your way home. Your body couldn’t contain it anymore and tears began to trickle down your cheeks. 

You had a feeling tomorrow would be the worst of it.


	5. Infatuation (Bonus Chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the time I finalized this chapter, it was the actual holidays, so I decided to postpone the releasing of this bonus chapter until after the days. This chapter is a bit on the shorter side and it's in Harvey's point of view. I believe this will be the only time the POV changes, so next chapter it'll be in your POV. Without further ado, I hope y'all enjoy!

Harvey rushed back to the clinic. So many emotions were buzzing through his whole body, from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. Panic, lust, confusion, joy, worry, everything in between and everything outside of it too.

As he approached the clinic, he could see Maru stepping out. She looked over and waved.

“Is George alright?” Maru asked, trying to sound casual but Harvey noticed the panic laced within her words.

“He’s… fine. Not dead, but he could definitely make some improvements to his lifestyle. Thank Yoba (Y/N) was there,” Harvey said, walking into the clinic.

Maru followed the doctor right behind him. “(Y/N), you say? What was she doing there, if you don’t mind me asking?” she asked, her tone picking up a mischievous note.

Harvey, completely oblivious to Maru’s implications, answered her question innocently. “She was helping Evelyn with a green bean casserole. It was the most delicious casserole I have ever tasted!” he fawned.

“Uh-huh,” Maru said. “How was (Y/N)?” she asked.

“She was good, but towards the end of it things got awkward,” Harvey said. “No doubt all my fault.”

Maru stepped up beside Harvey, who was now placing his medical equipment back in their proper place. “It was not,” she said.

“Was too,” he said, his breath becoming shaky. 

“Explain it all to me,” Maru instructed, pushing the doctor to sit down.

He sat down and placed his tools down. “Well, (Y/N) was just staring at me. And so I asked her if I had anything in my teeth. She said no and that I probably have healthier teeth than she does. To be honest, I really didn’t know what to say about that,” he admitted, sighing.

“Alright, what happened next?” Maru asked.

“Then we sorta… didn’t talk for the rest of the meal. I think I made her feel awkward, which is really bad on my part,” he said.

“So what? She should’ve still made small talk. Maybe she’s just someone who makes drama out of everything.” Maru didn’t mean to talk smack about you, but she was desperate to give comfort to the doctor.

“No, you’ve got it all wrong!” Harvey shouted. “She has depression, so she tends to deal with awkwardness in a somewhat similar fashion like I do.”

“With your social anxiety, right,” Maru said, finally understanding what he was getting at. “Look, Harvey, your anxiety is what’s making you think it’s all your fault. You did nothing wrong, trust me.”

“That’s what I want to believe, Maru, really,” Harvey said. He leaned back, striking a dramatic pose, “Woe is me.”

Maru gave him a light, playful punch. “That’s the spirit.”

“You do know I get humorous right before a breakdown, right?” he asked with a tongue-in-cheek style. 

“I’m fully aware, doc,” she said. “But you’re on a new medication. This could be the one,” she said optimistically.

“Maybe,” he said. He tossed his glasses off to the side and pinched the bridge of his nose in distress. “Oh, Maru, what am I going to do?”

“What do you mean? Live and let live, Harvey,” she said.

“Yeah, I know, but this… this feels different. I don’t know how to explain it, but it does,” he said.

“Well, how do you typically feel when in an awkward situation?” she asked.

Harvey lamented for a moment before replying. “Well, I feel like the whole world will mock me for the rest of my years, for one.”

“And for another?”

“For another, I feel as though I’ve committed the biggest sin one can commit. But in a humiliating way.”

“A-ha, I see. And how did you feel today?”

“Like a teenage boy. Mess up slightly and it’s the end of the world because I messed up in front of a girl!” Harvey groaned and his leg began bouncing with a mind of its own. 

Maru lowered herself down and propped her elbow onto the desk. “Is that the case now?” she teased. 

Harvey’s brows scrunched, finally picking up on his co-worker’s tone. “What are you getting at?” he asked quizzically. 

Mari raised an eyebrow in a cocky manner. “Sounds like just a terrible disease, doc.” She tapped her chin for a sarcastic moment. “I diagnose you with a big fat crush!”

“W-What? N-No, it’s not like that, at-at all!” Harvey blurted out. His face heated up to a vivid red, no doubt the same shade as a perfectly ripe tomato. 

“What, did I misdiagnose, doc?” Maru asked jokingly, wriggling her brows. 

Harvey sighed. “Crush is such a prepubescent term.”

Maru rolled her eyes. “Well, sor-ry, but the truth hurts sometimes. I dunno what else to tell you.”

“You always assume every interaction with a female I have is romantic,” Harvey said. 

“I just want you to be a bachelor no more,” Maru told him honestly. 

“Yeah, me too, but I’ve abandoned those dreams years ago,” he said. 

“Harvey!” she scolded. “I thought you always yearned for love! What happened to you?”

“Reality. That’s what happened.” 

Harvey truly didn’t know how to feel. After his thirties, he gave up trying to find love. Not because of his age like everyone else speculated, but because by that point he had been living in Pelican Town for a few years and no one chose to hit him up. If no one chose to hook up with him within the first four years of his residential life then what was the point of longing for love?

But then you came into the picture. He could tell you had a miserable past that you actively chose to not look back at, but your past insistently clawed in the back of your mind. It affected you, that was clear as day. And Harvey wanted to help. Not because he was somehow obligated to as the town’s only doctor, but for some other reason. What that reason was he wasn’t sure about. He would need to do some soul searching in order to figure that one out. 

But then again maybe he wouldn’t. Despite her childish attitude, Maru did have a point. Maybe he was “getting a crush” on you, also known as infatuation. Yeah, that was it, he was getting infatuated with you. 

“Yoo-hoo, earth to Harvey!” Harvey shook his head and looked back up at Maru. 

“Sorry, were you saying something?” he asked sheepishly. 

Maru groaned. “As a matter of fact, I was! I said that you should meet up with (Y/N) tomorrow.”

“Isn’t tomorrow the Egg Festival?” Harvey asked. 

“Yep,” Maru replied. “That’s perfect!”

“Maru, you know I don’t particularly enjoy the Egg Festival,” Harvey admitted. 

“And?” Maru pressed. “Besides, (Y/N) will be there! I’m sure that the festival will be a little bit better this year simply because you chose to socialize.”

“What makes you think I’ll talk to her after what happened today?” Harvey asked. 

“Well, you haven’t had an attack yet, right?” Maru pointed out. 

Huh, Harvey thought, maybe this new medication was working. 

“There’s no way out of this, is there?” Harvey asked. Maru shook her head. Harvey got up from his desk and began towards the double doors that led to his apartment. “Well, I guess I’ll have to talk to her tomorrow.”

“C’mon Harvey, don’t think of this as an assignment. All I’m trying to do is help you out a little,” Maru said. 

“I know. I guess that was poor word choice on my end, I apologize,” Harvey said. He paused and turned around to face Maru. “Have a good rest of your day.”

Maru nodded. “You too, doc.” She made her way to the front of the clinic and exited the building, flipping the sign from open to closed.

Meanwhile, Harvey made his way up the stairs to his dinky little apartment. To him, it was homey, but it was clearly meant for only one person. 

As he waltzed over to the fridge and pulled out a Joja branded microwave meal, his mind began to wander. Would you be okay tomorrow? How is your depression holding up? When will the epipens come, it’s been over a week since he made the order?

He sighed, punching the numbers in to start the cooking process. That’s when he realized that he didn’t feel as tired as he once thought.

Perhaps the new medication really was working after all.


	6. Egg Festival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day?? What??? As always, I hope you guys enjoy!

_ You shuffled into the plaster white office, feeling like a little school kid who was in serious trouble with the principal. Your hands were coated in slimy warm sweat and your face was chilled to the bone. Your once vibrant hair was dull with thick oil due to the lack of showering or any proper hygiene. You only put on deodorant today because your father refused to take you to the doctor otherwise. _

_ So there you sat with your father in one seat and you in another, feeling most uncomfortable in the cheap plastic chairs the clinic provided. At any moment, the doctor would arrive. Your vitals had already been checked by a nurse. The nurse advised you to get more vitamins into your body. You didn’t tell her that your diet had consisted of everything but. Besides, you couldn’t have told her as she exited out like she didn’t want to be there in the first place. _

_ The sharp sound of the doorknob turning caught your attention. Your father looked up with you as the doctor appeared in front of you both. _

_ “Good afternoon, (L/N) family,” he greeted warmly. _

_ “Good afternoon to you too, Dr. Warnick,” your father chimed. _

_ The doctor closed the door behind him and took his seat by the computer. “How are you today, Miss (Y/N)?” _

_ You simply shrugged. “Fine, I guess.” _

_ “Better than bad, right?” he said, attempting to lighten up the mood. _

_ You sighed. “Whatever,” you barely mumbled. _

_ Dr. Warnick spun himself to face the computer as he began furiously typing. “So, we’re here to discuss and review the tests we took last week?” _

_ “Yeah,” you said. _

_ The doctor remained silent as he pulled up the results on his computer. “Well, by the look of things, you don’t have hypothyroidism, Cushing’s disease, multiple sclerosis, any head trauma of any kind, you answered to no sexual activity so no syphilis, and no tumors or cancers.” _

_ “What does any of that have to do with my fucked up head, doc?” you asked. _

_ “Sweet Pea,” your father chided. _

_ “Not now,” you growled. You hated that nickname with a burning passion. Sweet Pea your ass. _

_ “All of those things can cause depression, so we like to eliminate any possibilities that need to be solved differently before tossing you a bottle of meds,” he explained. _

_ “Okay?” you said, not understanding what he was getting at. _

_ The doctor ignored your note of confusion. “No anemia… a-ha. Your calcium and vitamin D appear to be low. That could be the cause of it,” he said. _

_ “I don’t mean to be rude, doc, but those are probably side effects more than causes,” you said. _

_ “Hm,” he said, leaning back for a moment. He then turned to your father. “Mr. (L/N), do you remember when your daughter began experiencing signs of depression?” _

_ “I don’t mean to be rude, doc,” your father began, copying you, “but I only figured this out pretty recently. Maybe you should ask my daughter, the person here who actually has the depression.” _

_ The doctor turned to you, appearing slightly annoyed. “Miss (Y/N), when do you remember experiencing depression?” _

_ Experiencing? Like a joy ride? You shook your head, choosing to ignore the doctor’s questionable wording. “Well,” you began. Suddenly, your lips felt rough, your mouth ran dry, and your throat closed up on itself. You were worried about your father. If you told the truth, he would probably cry, feeling inadequate as a father. But if you lied, you may not get the medication you needed. “When I was twelve, I began to not care about anything. Schoolwork, making friends. Everything, really. And on the weekends I refused to get out of bed the entire day,” you told truthfully. You turned back to face your father and sure enough, you could see his eyes shimmering. _

_ The doctor sighed, as though of defeat. “Alright. I’m going to prescribe you 10mg of citalopram.” _

Your father breathed out a shaky sigh of relief. “Thank you, Doctor.”

✿ ✿ ✿

**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BE-**

You groaned, rolling onto your other side. You knew at this point in living in Pelican Town that you had to wake up early enough to water your crops before the sun dried them out. But who cared?

Last night was the first rough night since moving. After the complete collapse that was yesterday, you ran home and jumped into bed, clothes and all. The only thing you did take off was your boots. You managed to get some sleep despite the time being around four in the afternoon. Despite that, you were oddly surprised when you woke up at eleven at night. You hadn’t been able to sleep since then, with the exception of an hour-long nap from one to two in the morning.

You remembered yesterday morning receiving a letter from Mayor Lewis about something called the Egg Festival. You were all excited to go then, but now it was different. You didn’t care about anything at the moment. About the people, about the festival, about your crops, about the farm, about anything and everything. Why were you in a low all of a sudden? Oh yeah, infatuation plus depression equals a hot mess, at least in your books it did.

The ultimate goal in your life was to turn things around and have a successful career with enough money to provide for a family. But what family and what job were you going to have? None, because you didn’t care about life at this point and wished to just rot away already.

Talking yourself down seemed to do the trick for you in terms of tiring yourself out. You knew that beating yourself was never good, but in times like this, there was nothing else you knew how to do. It was as though your brain had temporarily rewired itself to only shit on itself and nothing else.

With a heavy sigh, your lids closed over your eyes and you fell into a slumber once again.

✿ ✿ ✿

The time was a little past ten. Make that a bit past ten. Ten thirty-two to be exact. You couldn’t believe you managed to get that much sleep in. You almost felt proud of yourself. Almost.

You slowly blinked your crusty eyelids open, not bothering to rub all the crap out of your eyes. You wanted to cry so many times over the course of your body being glued to the bed, but ever since your cried yourself to sleep, you simply didn’t have the energy or tears to cry anymore.

The clothes on your body felt heavy and they didn’t quite reek but they didn’t smell the best either. Of course, when one’s a farmer, clothes are always soaked in sweat. You never bothered to change out of said clothes, so you were stuck with the stench that your nose was too lazy to block.

**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!**

Who would come to your house at this time? Wasn’t everyone at the festival?

**KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!**

You groaned and shifted yourself in the mix of all your blankets. You simply didn’t have the energy to talk.

The person seemed to have heard your groans, though, as the door opened. How was it unlocked? Oh right, you probably forgot to lock the door in the midst of your panic attack.

“(Y/N), is everything alright?” Could it be? The sound of the familiar voice gave you a tiny spark of energy. Enough to give you a voice.

“Harvey?” you quietly said, turning yourself around to face him. 

He quickly walked over and knelt down beside you, placing a hand on your head without a second thought. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

You shrugged. “Life.”

Harvey appeared to immediately understand what you were getting at. “I feel like I should apologize. I made things awkward yesterday and I feel as though that was the catalyst for everything up to this point,” he said.

You shook your head weakly. “No, it’s my fault. Really.”

He began petting your head. Or rather, his hand did. It was completely subconscious on his end. “No, no it’s not.”

You were too lazy to argue. Besides, the repeated strokes down your head of hair felt comforting. So, for a while, you two remained in silence. You still felt like garbage, but maybe more like recycling now that Harvey was there. Did that make any sense? Honestly, you didn’t care. You were just glad that a spark of happiness was lighting up in your chest once again.

Harvey suddenly broke the silence. “I have good news,” he said.

“Hm?” you hummed out, telling him to proceed.

“Your antidepressant is coming in tomorrow,” he said.

Normally, hearing this news would make you feel light on your feet and would leave you jumping for joy. You felt something similar, but your depression was severely dampening the emotions that were coursing through your veins. 

“Really?” you asked. Was he pulling your leg? No, why would he?

“Really,” he said. “I took a look back at your previous records. You appeared to have taken citalopram when you were a teenager, but by the looks of it whoever prescribed it to you greatly underdosed you.”

“What do you mean?” you asked meekly.

“The sheets said 10mg, but for citalopram, you’re supposed to take double the amount,” he explained.

You couldn’t remember the doctor’s name for the life of you, but you knew to curse him whenever you went up above or down below. 

“I wish this day was over,” you said. “But I can’t seem to sleep it away.”

“I know how you feel,” Harvey said. “Trust me.”

“How so?” you asked.

“This may sound somewhat ironic, but I have anxiety. Social anxiety, to be specific. Insomnia was a huge issue for me,” he admitted.

Why was he opening up to you all of a sudden? He obviously must have felt comfortable telling you all of this stuff, but why? Guess it was a doctor-patient thing.

“What do you take?” you asked. You realized what you just said and twitched. “I mean, I shouldn’t ask, um-”

“It’s perfectly alright,” he said calmly. He looked directly at you before continuing. “I take escitalopram.”

“Isn’t that an antidepressant?” you asked.

“It’s both,” he said. “Generally, all SSRIs are for both anxiety and depression.”

“Would you recommend that to me?” you asked him.

“Only if citalopram doesn’t work for you. Oh, by the way, I hope you don’t mind me ordering a different kind of citalopram,” he said.

“What do you mean?” you asked for the second time that day.

“It’s still citalopram, it’s just in a metabolized form. That way the medication will get into your body quicker,” he explained.

“Oh.”

“Is that okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

That was the last thing you remembered before drifting off.

✿ ✿ ✿

**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BE-**

You immediately shot up from your bed. Had that all merely been just a dream? You looked around for any sign of Harvey. Was he still here? No, why would he be? 

Then, you saw it. Out of the corner of your eye was a cylindrical orange bottle with a bulky white cap.

It hadn’t been a dream after all.

  
  



	7. Check-Ups and Make Ups

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where in the world have I been, you may be asking. To that I say: finals. I'm going to post this chapter and then focus on studying for my ACT. After I take the test, things should be more regular. I apologize for the spotty uploading time. I may get one more chapter up before but we'll see. 
> 
> Also, I decided to take a different approach with this heart event. I did stick to the dialogue and actions, but I added additional actions and dialogue as well. Also, I edited one of the lines because in-game the line makes no grammatical sense. Let me know if you prefer this more lose style or the stick-to-the-book style like I did for the two heart event. 
> 
> With all of that said, I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. :^D

_ “Theodora, put that dress on this instant!” your mother commended.  _

_ “It’s Theo, mom. And no!” your sister… or were they your brother, defied. You still were trying to understand what your… sibling was. You thought you understood, but according to mom you only had a sister, not a brother.  _

_ “Please, Theodora, stop trying to ruin the family photo,” your mother begged.  _

_ Your sibling screamed. “I hate you!” They then stomped off, throwing the dress on the ground in the process.  _

_ Were they okay? They sounded mad. So off you went, following them to make sure they were okay.  _

_ Your sibling seemed to catch on quickly, though. “(Y/N), why are you following me?” they spat.  _

_ You stopped in your place. Then, point blank, you asked them, “Are you my brother or sister? Mommy is making me confused! Theo this, Theodora that!” _

_ Your sibling sighed. They turned around to face you and lowered down to their knees. “I’m your big bro, okay?” they said reassuringly. “No matter what mom says.” _

_ You tilted your head. “But I thought mommy knew everything.” _

_ Your brother shook his head. “It’s not a matter of her knowing everything or not. She just…” His eyes wandered around, looking for the right words. “...she just doesn’t understand that I’m a boy.” _

_ “Ooh, okay! I got it big bro!” you chimed happily.  _

_ You swore your brother’s eyes were more shimmery than usual. “Thank you,” he said.  _

✿ ✿ ✿

It had been a week since you started your new medication and things immediately began turning for the better. You actually didn’t mind waking up at six in the morning and the people of the town noticed that you had a pep in your step. The fruits of your labor (or rather the vegetables and fruits of your labor) spiked up in quality. You weren’t sure if that was directly tied to finally getting out of your pit of depression but you didn’t question it.

Getting the proper help after all these years was such a momentous occasion for you. So momentous in fact that you hung the note Harvey had written on the fridge just like how one hung a scribble of a drawing on the fridge for their kid. The note read:

**-(Y/N),**

**I hope you get enough sleep tonight, you deserve it. While I was keeping an eye on you, Maru called to report that your medication came early. Take one pill a day and come back a week after your first dosage for a check-up.**

The signature was Harvey’s, that’s for sure, but if an outsider had read the note they would have no clue as to who wrote it. A doctor thing, you supposed. It had been a week since you woke up in a dizzy state and saw the medication on your nightstand, and as promised, you had plans to head down to the clinic today. 

As you got up and headed into the kitchen, you thought about your brother, Theo. How was he doing? You hadn’t heard from him in a few years and every attempt to contact him always ended up in an unread message or a robotic female voice on the other end. You just hoped to Yoba that he was safe and okay.

You shook your head as you grabbed a microwave breakfast out of the freezer. You didn’t quite have the money or resources to make a meal from scratch just yet, so frozen meals would have to do. You didn’t want to step a toe inside any Joja building, meaning you had to get a taxi and go to the next town over whenever you needed to do any grocery shopping of any kind.

The microwave beeped at you and you opened it, taking out your breakfast. You placed the hot plate on the table and picked up the remote, turning the television on. Weather, fortune-telling, and a rerun of The Queen of Sauce. You quickly turned the television off and sat down to eat your breakfast.

A few minutes later, you stood in front of the full-length mirror with two dresses, one in each hand. The first was a white eyelet dress with short sleeves the bunched up and ruffled out at the end. The other was a thin-strapped dress with horizontal navy blue and white stripes. After going back and forth for a bit too long, you decided on the white dress. You hung the striped dress back up and got ready for the day. When you walked into the bathroom, you noticed that you had gotten a slight sunburn on your face. Mainly on your cheeks and your nose. For now, it looked cute. You just had to wait a day or two in order to remember why sunburns of any degree were always a pain.

After getting ready to head out, you quickly debated on a sun hat or not before deciding that you should let your hair be free for once. You slipped on your sandals, watered your crops, and headed out to the heart of Pelican Town. 

Spring had well been far into fruition. Flowers were in full bloom, the grass was the greenest it ever was, and the spring crops were at their top quality. The air was still a bit nippy even if the sun could give one a slight burn. 

“Good morning, (Y/N)!” Robin hollered.

You waved back. “Morning!”

You continued to make your way to the clinic, saying hello to anyone who greeted you. Your (h/c) hair shone in the sunlight in the most magnificent way. Finally getting yourself to a normal shower routine most certainly had its benefits.

In a short amount of time, you arrived at the clinic. With a light push of the door, you were in the bleach white yet oddly homey building. You approached the front desk and waited for either Maru or Harvey to make an appearance.

The door beside the desk swung open and revealed the green-clad doctor himself.

“Oh, you’re here! I didn’t expect you to be here so early!” he said.

“O-Oh, I’m sorry,” you said. “I can come back later if you want-”

“No, no, not at all. Please, come on back,” he said, waiting for you to begin walking.

He led you to his office behind the front desk. You stood there while he collected up his supplies. 

“Is it alright if I do you annual while you’re here?” he asked, picking up his stethoscope off the counter.

“Sure,” you said, your chest tightening all of a sudden. Your heart began racing and your palms became drenched in sweat within mere seconds. What was going on? You were never nervous at doctor appointments. Then again, you hadn’t had an annual in a while. Maybe that was it.

You looked directly at Harvey. His face met yours and your eyes were dead set on his. His eyes were made up of bright summer ferns, they looked quite comforting and inviting.

“Hold still, please,” he said, snapping you out of your thoughts. He held a basic otoscope in his right hand held it up to one of your eyes. Most doctors were usually quick with checking the eyes. After all, a light was shone directly into them. Prolonging the amount of time the light shone probably wasn’t the best at prolonging one’s eye health. And yet here you were, standing awkwardly with a light burning in your eye. At first, Harvey was clearly examining your eye, but now it seemed as though he was staring off into space.

You cleared your throat, attempting to get the doctor’s attention. He immediately straightened himself up. He mumbled a sincere apology before moving onto the next eye. This time around was much quicker. After examining the ears for a moment, he put the otoscope down and grabbed a tongue depressor, or as most people called it, a fat popsicle stick.

“Say ‘ahhh’...” he requested. You opened your mouth and he examined it briefly. “Okay, you can stop.”

He walked over to the sink and threw the depressor away before washing his hands. He then walked back over to you. He did a few other things such as take your temperature and check your reflexes. A few moments later and he put a majority of his equipment away.

Harvey gave you a small smile before speaking. “I just need to check your vitals,” he said.

Without warning, he stepped up even closer to you. It was like being squished in a small box, but for whatever reason, you weren’t exactly panicking. Yes, your heart rate was through the roof, but it wasn’t in fear. You were swimming in confusion, but it was something you had to put on the back burner until you got home.

He adjusted the stethoscope into his ears and placed the diaphragm onto your chest. Light goosebumps decorated your body from the sudden metal coldness, but you quickly adapted to it.

“Hmm… your pulse is high,” he said.

Crap, he noticed! You began to panic. Should you lie? No, you could never lie. Not for moral reasons, but rather you were a terrible liar. Even gullible children knew when you lied. Just tell the truth. But what was the truth? Why were you nervous? Nervous, just say you’re nervous.

“I’m a little nervous…” you breathed out. You hoped Harvey wouldn’t question you any further.

There was a brief moment of silence before Harvey spoke up. “Oh! Hospitals make you nervous, huh?” Don’t respond, don’t respond. “Just try and relax. I’m here to help.” His smile was wide this time. Phew, that was close. But your heart rate didn’t die down at all. If anything, it got even faster, if that was even possible. That smile of his was something else. You weren’t sure what, but you could tell it was a true smile. That’s all you could decipher out of the mess that was your state of mind at the moment.

Harvey stepped back and removed the earpieces out of his ears. “Well, then! You seem very healthy, (Y/N),” he said. “Now I just need to check in on you and your medication.” He walked over to his desk and sat down, pulling out a piece of paper and pen.

“What exactly would you like to know?” you asked.

“Well, tell me any symptoms you felt over the past week. Both good and bad,” he elaborated.

You stood there for a moment, fishing out the events that were last week from the back of your brain. “On the first day the medication may have given me more energy, but I did sleep a whole lot, too. It wasn’t until day two that I began to feel the full effects of it,” you said.

“Go on,” Harvey encouraged, scribbling notes down.

“I didn’t dread waking up at six in the morning for once that morning. And on top of that, I actually cared enough about myself to eat breakfast. It’s usually a toss of a coin type of thing,” you explained.

“I’m glad you’re taking better care of yourself now. You don’t know how close you got to receiving a lecture about the importance of breakfast,” he teased. You couldn’t help but giggle and he seemed to join in as well. The laugh didn’t last for long, but it felt quite good to your mood.

“I think the only negative side effect I had was some time after taking the second dose I got a headache. However, I wasn’t sure if I could take ibuprofen, so I just toughed it out. I got over it eventually,” you said.

Harvey quickly wrote the last of his notes before turning his body to face you. “Taking ibuprofen should be okay, just be aware that you can bruise and bleed more easily during the time of the two interacting,” he said. “If you want to avoid any risk, however, tylenol should do the trick.”

“Okay, thank you,” you said.

“No problem,” he said, standing up. “I’m glad that the citalopram is working out for you,” he said opening the door. You stood up and walked out, following right behind him.

When you walked out you noticed Maru at the front desk talking to Penny. The two seemed to be completely engulfed in a captivating conversation.

“Have a good day, (Y/N). Make sure you don’t overwork yourself on the farm.” You waved goodbye to Harvey as you exited the clinic.

As you walked back to the farm, your heart rate finally began to slow down ever so slightly. Your hands were no longer clammy and your face didn’t feel so burning hot. For a moment you thought you’d have to ask Harvey to retake your temperature. 

You weren’t sure why you felt that way around him. It was like you were back in elementary school confessing to your crush. It was the symptoms of puppy love but the diagnosis of confusion. Speaking of pets…

“Hi, Miso!” you chimed, seeing your grey cat laze on your porch. He opened his eyes and stared at you.

He gave a quiet meow before beginning to purr as you petted him.

“How was my appointment? It went well. Although, I felt a bit weird,” you told him.

He tilted his head in response.

“How so? Well, I’m not sure. It was a way I hadn’t felt since… him. You probably don’t know who I’m talking about. That’s okay,” you said.

Miso lifted his pay up and rested it on your hand. You learned very quickly over the past few days of having him on the farm that his gesture meant to stop petting him.

“Alright, I’ll let you go back to sleep,” you said, grinning softly.

You took out your keys and unlocked the house, stepping inside. As you slipped your sandals off, you immediately saw your phone on the counter.

“Huh, looks like I left my phone here. Silly me,” you said, walking into the kitchen to grab it. You turned your phone on, seeing if you missed anything. Your body went numb as your eyes widened.

**_Voicemail from: Theo_ **


	8. Late Night Calls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, Theo finally called! What does he have to say? Why did he never answer your calls for years? We're about to find out! I apologize for the length of the chapter, it's shorter than usual. I do plan on having next chapter up either today or tomorrow. There'll be another reveal in that one as well, and it'll be the Flower Dance! Ahh! I can't wait! Thank you all for who have read despite the slow updating. And thank you to all who've left supportive comments!

_ “Dad, I’m home!” you hollered, closing the apartment door behind you. You tossed your graduation gown rental form on the counter. There was no way that your father would be able to afford it, but you also knew he would get mad if you threw it away.  _

_ There was a mysterious silence that lingered. Your father always greeted you. Maybe he went on an errand? You walked over to the fridge and scanned for any sign of a note. None.  _

_ You tended to hold up a cold, careless masquerade but now wasn’t the time. Icy cold tingled crawled up your back and numbing punches twisted your stomach. Something was wrong.  _

_ “Dad?” you hollered. You quickened your pace as you made a beeline to his bedroom.  _

_ The door nearly fell off its hinges as you practically punched it open. “Dad?” you hollered again. This time, you recurved a groan of a response.  _

_ Your eyes darted to the location of the noise. There, your father laid face down on the carpet. _

_ “Dad!” you yelled, fumbling for your phone. This couldn’t be happening. Who should you call first, emergency services or your brother?  _

_ Before you could make a decision, you had your phone up to your ear.  _

**_Ring… ring… ring… ring… ring…_ **

_ “Hi, this is Theo. Please leave a voicemail and I’ll give you a call back as soon as possible. Thank you.” _

_ Little did you know that would be the only time you could hear the voice of your brother for many years to come.  _

✿ ✿ ✿

You woke up way earlier than intended. It was still pitch black outside and you had to look at your trust clock to get a sense of what time you woke up at. 

“Midnight?” you croaked out, shaking your head. Then yesterday’s events flooded back into your mind. 

“Theo!” you yelled. You threw the sheets off yourself and twisted the lamp on. Where did you leave your phone again? 

You had been doused in so many emotions yesterday that in an attempt to calm down, you accidentally fell asleep. You couldn’t remember when you fell asleep, but waking up at midnight made a lot more sense now. 

Running into the kitchen, you immediately caught sight of your phone. Within a blur, you had your phone up to your ear. 

**Ring… ring… ring… ring… ring…**

“Hi, this is Theo-“

You screamed at the top of your lungs as you ended the call furiously. Your eyes were watering as you drew your arm back. 

**Bzzz! Bzzz!**

You took your arm down and stared at the screen. 

**Bzzz!**

This couldn’t be real, could it?

**Bzzz!**

“Hello?” you said. 

“...(Y/N)?” Tears streamed down your face. It had been over a decade since you heard his voice say your name. 

“Th-Theo?” you stuttered out. 

“I know I have a lot to explain-“

“I don’t care,” you whispered out, your throat closing up. “I just… it’s you. It’s really you.”

“I know,” he said. “I’ve missed you so much, you know?”

“Then why did you never return my calls or texts?” A small pit of anger was beginning to brew. 

A heavy sigh traveled through the line. “I needed time away from family. Everyone,” he said. “I know that you’re one of the only people in the family who actually gave a damn, but… I just needed it.”

“Then why didn’t you say so?” you asked. 

“Okay, I’ll admit, I take full responsibility for that fault,” he said guiltily. “But after what happened recently, I thought about things. You could say I was given a reality check. A really harsh one, at that.”

“W-What do you mean?” you asked, worried. “Don’t tell me-“

“Plane crash?” He sighed. “Yep.”

Your brother yearned for constant travel. So, he got his ariel license and flew all around the world. You hadn’t heard from him since his first trip. 

“Is everything-“

“Alright? Um, yes but no,” he said. 

“Explain,” you demanded. 

“I mean, I lived. But um, how do I put this lightly?” 

“Give it to me. Plain and dry.”

“I lost my arm.”

Silence. 

Long, long silence. 

“(Y/N)?”

You sniffed. “Yeah?” You didn’t know what to say. 

Miso padded over to you and rubbed himself on your legs. He made his presence known with a curious meow. 

“I know it’s a lot to take in, but when I woke up in the hospital room with a missing arm, it was like the world slapped me in the face and told me to get my shit together,” he admitted. “How are things over in ZuZu City?” he asked, attempting to change the subject. 

You cleared your throat, not wanting your voice to waver and crack anymore than it already had. “I no longer live there,” you told him. 

“Really?” he asked, clearly taken aback. 

“I just… had enough. Just like you, but with me it was more like a midlife crisis than a family matter,” you explained. 

“A-ha, I get it,” he said. “So, where do you live now?”

“Pelican Town, where Papa lived,” you said. 

“Did you take up the farm?” he asked. 

“Mhm. It had both our names on it, y’know.” Your voice cracked at the end. Oh, how you yearned that in some alternate timeline your brother was there with you to start the farm up once again. 

“Did it now?” You could tell he didn’t believe you. 

“Well, if you came by to visit, I could prove it to you,” you said. 

“Sounds like a plan,” he said. 

“Wait, for real?” you asked, taken aback. 

“For real, sis,” he said. “I won’t be able to come over right away, but I’ll come as soon as I can.”

You held your breath momentarily before speaking. “Am I-“

“Cutting anything short? Not really,” he said. 

You huffed in annoyance. “Could you please stop-“

“Cutting you off? Never,” he chuckled out. “It’s my duty as your older brother to be a nuisance. Sorry, I don’t make the rules,” he teased.

You laughed alongside him. After a few moments, both of you caught your breaths. “Did you crash with Theresa?”

“Oh, Yoba no! It was a plane I was working on salvaging. Guess I should’ve seen it coming,” Theo said. 

Years of carried weight finally sludged off of you all at once. Theo was okay. So was Theresa, but you were mainly focused on your older brother. But still, he did dumb things and always said, “Guess I should’ve seen it coming.” Every. Single. Time. He never learned, did he? Well, it was in his nature. Daredevil and a dumb ass. Probably the worst combination on the planet but you were stuck with him. 

“Well,” you breathed out, “I’m glad everything is as okay as it can be.”

“Me too,” Theo said. “And now I’ll be able to see you, lil’ sis!”

You hated pulling all-nighters. Not because you were sluggishly tired throughout the day, but rather you tended to get headaches that you swore were migraines due to lack of sleep. Because of that, you held a strict sleeping schedule. But sometimes, cycles and schedules could be broken. You decided that your brother calling you after years, if not nearly two decades, of no communication was a fine enough exception that night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More notes? I know, I know, but I promise that this note is really cool and important!
> 
> Basically, I am in the works of planning out another Harvey fanfic after this one is finished. And I was thinking of including you guys in the process! Thoughts? Good idea? Bad idea? Lemme know!


	9. Author's Note

Heyo. I really held off doing an author's note but the time has come. Basically, I was thinking of scrapping this fanfiction and immediately working on my other one. 

If y'all want me to work on the new one, I'll post one last chapter with a link. My new fanfiction will be an OC x Harvey fanfic, but I want you guys to make the OC. Basically, you all vote on different aspects (hair, clothes, name, etc.) and the most popular by the end of March wins. 

If you do want me to continue this fanfiction, let me know and I'll get back to it. But for now, I think I'll begin the process of creating the other fanfiction. Let me know what y'all think.

-zodiacemma


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